Posts in Category: 'Consumer Products'

This book is intended to be a companion to the NAFEMS book, "An Introduction to the Use of Material Models in FE". It informs Finite Element Analysis users of the manner and methodologies by which materials are tested in order to calibrate material models currently implemented in various FEA programs. While the authors seek first to satisfy the basic material models outlined in the companion book, they make important extensions to FEA used in currently active areas including explicit simulation.

Simulations contain assumptions and uncertainties that a designer must evaluate to obtain a measure of accuracy. The assumptions of the product design can be differentiated from the ones for the solver and material model through the use of a mid-stage validation. An open loop validation uses a controlled test on a standardized part to compare results from a simulation to the physical experiment. From the validation, confidence in the material model and solver is gained. In this study, the material properties of a polypropylene are tested to characterize for an *ELASTIC *PLASTIC model in ABAQUS. A validation of a quasi-static three-point bending experiment of a parallel ribbed plate is then performed and simulated. A comparison of the strain fields resulting from the complex stress state on the face of the ribs obtained by digital image correlation (DIC) vs. simulation is used to quantify the simulation's fidelity.

The use of CAE in design decision-making has created a need for proven simulation accuracy. The two areas where simulation touches the ground are with material data and experimental verification and validation (V&V). Precise, well designed and quantitative experiments are key to ensure that the simulation initiates with correct material behavior. Similar validation experiments are needed to verify simulation and manage the risk associated with this predictive technology.

As part of Cornell University's mechanical engineering curriculum and study of classical beam theory, an aluminium beam is deformed to a specific load. Theoretical strains are calculated at certain points along the beam using beam theory, and then verified by using strain gauges placed at these points on the beam. This experiment is then extended to simulation of the same test setup in simulation software, where strains are analyzed at the same points. Discrepancies between the simulation, theory, and strain gauge results have often plagued the test, especially when incorporating more complex beam design. Through use of digital image correlation (DIC) it is possible to pinpoint some of the problem areas in the beam analysis and provide a better understanding of the localized strains that occur at any point in the deformed beam. The use of DIC provides a full field validation of simulation data, rather than a single spot check that strain gauges can provide. This validation technique helps to eliminate error that is associated with strain gauge placement and the possibility of missing strain hot spots that can arise when analyzing complex deformations or geometries.

The limitations of modeling materials for simulation are discussed, including lack of clarity in material model requirements, gaps between the material data and the model to which it will be fitted, issues in obtaining pertinent properties, difficulties in parameter conversion (fitting), and preparation of input files for the software being used. Means to address these limitations are presented, including understanding the model completely, measuring the correct data with precision on the right material, selecting the best model for the data and ensuring the best fit of the model to the data, validating the model against a simple experiment, and following best practices to create an error-free input file.

High strain rate material modelling of polymers for use in crash and drop testing has been plagued by a number of problems. These include poor quality and noisy data, material models unsuited to polymer behaviour and unclear material model calibration guidelines. The modelling of polymers is thus a risky proposition with a highly variable success rate. In previous work, we tackled each of the above problems individually. In this paper, we summarize and then proceed to present a material modelling strategy that can be applied for a wide variety of polymers.

We seek to lay down a framework to help us understand the different behavioral classes of foams. Following a methodology that we previously applied to plastics, we will then attempt to propose the right LS-DYNA material models that best capture these behaviours. Guidelines for model selection will be presented as well as best practices for characterization. Limitations of existing material models will be discussed.

If you want a crash simulation involving plastics to yield useful results, it is important to model the material behavior appropriately. The high strain rates have a significant effect on the properties, and failure can be ductile or brittle in nature, depending on a number of factors.

We present a perspective on material modeling as applied to mold analysis requirements. Melt-solid transitions and the case for a unified material model are discussed, along with prediction of post-filling material behavior and shrinkage, and the impact of viscous heating on flow behavior and material degradation.

Many LS-DYNA models are used for plastics crash simulation. However, common models are not designed for plastics. We present best practices developed for adapting common models to plastics, as well as best testing protocols to generate clean, accurate rate-dependent data.

A considerable amount of CAE today is devoted to the simulation of non-metallic materials, many of which exhibit non-linear behavior. However, most material models to date are still based on metals theory. This places severe restrictions on the proper description of their behavior in CAE. In this paper, we describe non-linear elastic behavior and its interrelationship with plastic behavior in plastics. Special attention is given to the differentiation between visco-elastic (recoverable) strain and plastic (non-recoverable) strain. The goal of this work is to have a material model for plastics that can describe both loading and unloading behavior accurately and provide an accurate measure of damage accumulation during complex loading operations.

The volume of plastics that are subjected to impact simulation has grown rapidly. In a previous paper, we discussed why different material models are needed to describe the highly varied behavior exhibited by these materials. In this paper, we cover the subject in more detail, exploring in depth, the nuances of commonly used LS-DYNA material models for plastics, covering important exceptions and criteria related to their use.

High strain-rate properties have many applications in the simulation of automotive crash and product drop testing.
These properties are difficult to measure. These difficulties result from inaccuracies in extensometry at high strain
rates due to extensometer slippage and background noise due to the sudden increase in stress at the start of the
test. To eliminate these inaccuracies we use an inferential technique that correlates strain to extension at low
strain rates and show that this can be extended to measure strain at higher strain rates